Maritime trade, growth discussed at Oman Ports Conference

Muscat: Oman Ports Conference discussed the issue of maritime trade around the globe, the prospects of growth, and the role of logistics in ports integration.
The event has been organised in cooperation with the Ministry of Transport and Communications and the Omani International Logistics Group (ASYAD).
The conference was presided over by His Highness Sayyid Shihab bin Tariq Al Said. He said: “The Sultanate has been strongly associated with the sea throughout the history via which the Omani civilisation has interacted with the civilisations of the world.”
He noted that the ports have contributed and are playing a prominent role in the movement of trade and the global economy, in addition to local economy, hence the importance of Oman Ports Conference, which brings together specialists and experts together.
After the opening of the conference, he said that maritime work requires cooperation and integration among all, as well as the economic development in the Sultanate requires cooperation and integration from all sides, government, and private sector.
He added that there is an increasing interest from the Sultanate’s government in the ports and the logistics sector as a whole to occupy one of the most important sectors of the economy and the public income resources of the country, pointing out that successive plans and economic visions have begun to bear fruit on the ground.
Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Futaisi, Minister of Transport and Communications, delivered the keynote address to the conference on the current logistics sector and the role of ports in the Sultanate’s plan to promote economic diversification.
He said: “The ports of Oman have attracted the world’s attention station and are witnessing remarkable improvement and growth in the number of shipping lines. He said that during 2017, it handled about 4.8 million containers, an increase of 21% compared to 2016.”
General cargo volume
He added that the volume of handling of general cargo in the Omani ports during the year 2017 amounted to 18 million tons of cargo, an increase of 25 per cent over the year 2016. He stressed that these indicators reflect the efforts to develop the main ports of the Sultanate and bear fruit.
The recommendations included accelerating the establishment of maritime trade corridors with the emerging markets to benefit from the high economic growth rates in these countries, achieving the desired economic returns and inviting the private sector to support the government’s efforts to strengthen the Sultanate’s position on the International investment map in the ports sector.